My name is Dr.
Gail Gross.
I invite you today to take a journey with me into the inner you.
Each of us desires happiness,
Yet the manner in which we find it depends on our development.
And though the natural state is peace,
It can only be accessed through the connection to the inner self,
The unconscious.
The unconscious is constantly seeking to bring each of us into consciousness,
So that we can exercise free will and choice in our day-to-day lives.
To live deliberately is to unite the body,
The emotions,
And the mind.
This integration of the inner and outer you creates an experience of peace,
Harmony,
And total calm.
It is only through the synchronized union of the intellect,
Body,
And emotions that you can reach your unconscious,
The real you.
By using the breath and the mind to relax the body,
One can enter into a phase of relaxation.
Through the use of isometric tensing and relaxing of each muscle group in the body,
The body and the mind relax,
Thus letting the emotions and the breath become more peaceful.
To begin,
Find a quiet place where you can relax without interruption.
Lie down and put your legs a foot apart and your arms away from your body.
Arrange your body until you feel completely comfortable.
Next,
You will isometrically tense and relaxed each of your body's muscle groups.
When I tell you to raise a part of your body,
Raise it a few inches off the ground.
And when I tell you to let it go,
Let it drop as if it was weightless.
Next,
Take in five easy breaths.
You will notice that the in-breath is cool and the out-breath is warm.
Each time you inhale,
Fill your lungs with peace and happiness.
And as you exhale,
Release stress and tension from your lungs.
Then,
Focus your attention on your left leg.
Breathe in deeply,
Lift it slightly,
And then tense and release all the muscle groups in your left leg and let it relax down to the tips of your toes.
Then,
Forget your leg entirely.
Now,
Shift your focus to your right leg.
Once again,
Inhale as you lift it slightly.
Then,
Tense and release all the muscle groups in your right leg and let it relax down to the tips of your toes.
Let it go completely.
Very good.
Now,
Notice how relaxed your legs feel from your waist to your toes.
Next,
Shift your attention to your buttocks.
Lift it slightly,
Then tense all the muscle groups in the buttocks and let them relax as you let go of all the stress in your buttocks.
Very good.
Then,
Move your attention to your stomach.
Inhale through your nose and fill your stomach with cool air.
Hold it and then exhale the warm air through your mouth.
Notice how relaxed you feel.
Good.
Then,
Focus on your chest.
Breathe through your nose and fill your lungs up with air.
Then,
Release.
Very good.
Next,
Focus your attention on your right arm.
Raise up and extend out the right arm and expand the fingers of your right hand.
Now,
Breathe in and isometrically tense and release both your right arm and your right hand.
Then,
Relax.
Next,
Focus your attention on your left arm.
Raise up and extend out the left arm and expand the fingers of your left hand.
Now,
Breathe in and isometrically tense and release both your left hand and your left arm.
Then,
Relax.
Notice how relaxed the body is.
Now,
Focus your attention on your shoulders.
Isometrically tense and release all the muscles in your shoulders.
Repeat this movement a second time as you isometrically tense and release all the muscles in your shoulders.
Good.
Then,
Focus your attention on your neck.
Isometrically tense and release the muscles in your neck as you move your neck slowly from right to left.
Now,
Relax.
Good.
Now,
Isometrically tense and release all the muscle groups in your face.
Squeeze your face tightly and then let it relax.
Open your mouth widely and move it from right to left and then up and down.
Now,
Pucker your lips as if in a kiss and isometrically tense and release the muscles there.
Very good.
Then,
Focus on your nose and flare your nostrils right and left as you isometrically tense and release the muscles there.
Good.
Next,
Focus on your eyes as you isometrically tense and release the muscles there by tightly closing the eyes.
Good.
Finally,
Focus on your forehead and the crown of your head by isometrically tensing and relaxing the muscles there.
Very good.
Now,
In one final gesture,
We firmly contract all the muscle groups of the entire body by isometrically tensing and releasing them.
Squeeze,
Squeeze,
Squeeze and then relax.
Good.
You have now relaxed the body.
Next,
Take a body inventory and when you are satisfied that your legs,
Arms,
Buttocks,
Stomach,
Chest,
Neck,
Face,
Forehead and crown are all relaxed,
You are ready to meditate.
Notice how relaxed you feel and in touch with your body.
Now,
Focus your attention on your breath.
Experience the in-breath as cool and the out-breath as warm.
Let the breath guide you as it moves rhythmically,
Focusing your attention on the inhale and exhale of each breath.
Now,
Your breathing is shallow as you enter a deeper state of peace.
Do this for five minutes.
So,
So so so Next,
Center your attention on your mind.
Your mind is in a state of deep relaxation.
If you hear outside sounds or have disruptive thoughts,
Do not resist them but welcome them into your meditation.
What resists persists and by not fighting distractions,
They merge neutrally into your meditation.
Recognize that as the mind slips deeper and deeper into a relaxed state,
Your conscious mind is integrating into the unconscious.
This allows for transcendence to occur.
This is the natural self.
Here the mind witnesses both the body and the breath while realizing it is neither.
In this completely relaxed state,
A conscious mind can access the unconscious.
Do this for five minutes.
So so so so so so so so so so Once again,
Focus on your breath.
Deepen your breathing.
Fill your lungs on the in-breath with a positive sense of balance and harmony.
Let this energy fill your body as it begins to lighten part by part.
Feel energy filling you up as you gently come out of your meditation with the feeling of vitality and well-being.
This is the state of stress-free deep relaxation.
